Bokar Biro Barry was fighting to preserve the independence of Fouta Djallon when French forces defeated his army in November 1896. He was captured and killed, and his head was severed from his body and sent to France. His skull would remain in a Paris museum for more than 120 years before Guinean researchers located it.
The Kingdom of Fouta Djallon
Fouta Djallon was established in 1725 following an Islamic jihad led by Karamokho Alfa. It grew into a federation of nine provinces in the highlands of present-day Guinea, ruled by an Almami who held both political and religious authority.
However, the kingdom was divided between two rival political factions, the Alfaya and the Soriya, whose members traditionally took turns holding the position of Almami. Competition between the two groups often led to disputes over leadership, while some provincial chiefs also challenged the authority of the central government.
Bokar Biro, also known as Boubacar Biro, belonged to the Soriya faction and became Almami in 1890. His reign was marked by continuing tensions with rival factions and provincial leaders, making it difficult to maintain political unity across the kingdom.
French Ambitions in Fouta Djallon
By the late nineteenth century, France was extending its colonial possessions across West Africa. Fouta Djallon remained independent while many of the surrounding territories had come under French control. Its location and political influence made it important to French expansion, but its rulers were unwilling to surrender their independence.
France was also concerned about the kingdom’s relationship with Samori Touré, whose Wassoulou Empire was fighting French forces. Bokar Biro supported Samori’s resistance, and the two leaders established an alliance. To the French, this cooperation threatened their efforts to bring the region under colonial rule.
European agreements had also strengthened France’s position. In 1889, Britain and France recognised Fouta Djallon as falling within the French sphere of influence. British officials in Sierra Leone continued providing financial support to the kingdom until 1895, but this did not stop France from increasing pressure on Bokar Biro.
In March 1896, French representative Raoul de Beeckman arrived in Timbo with troops to negotiate an agreement. France demanded the right to build roads through the kingdom, station a representative in its capital, influence the appointment of provincial chiefs and control trade. These demands would have placed important parts of Fouta Djallon’s government and economy under French authority.
Bokar Biro appeared to accept the agreement, but his signature was not genuine. Instead of signing his name, he wrote Bismillah, meaning “In the name of God”. When the French discovered this in Saint-Louis, it became clear that he had no intention of accepting their terms. The delegation withdrew temporarily, giving Bokar Biro time to deal with his opponents. He continued to resist French interference and refused to surrender the position of Almami when his term ended in April 1896.
The Battle That Ended His Rule
The failed negotiations pushed France towards military action. Troops advanced from Senegal, Guinea and French Sudan, and on November 3, 1896, French forces captured Timbo. Bokar Biro struggled to rally the provincial chiefs behind him. Many had already turned against his rule or sided with the French.
On November 13, 1896, Bokar Biro’s army faced French forces at Porédaka and was defeated by their artillery. Accounts differ on his death. Some say he was killed in battle, while a French military account published in 1938 says he escaped wounded but was later captured and killed by local forces allied with the French. His head was delivered to the French administrator two days later, bringing an end to Fouta Djallon’s independence and the last resistance to French colonial rule.
French Rule and the Return of His Remains
After the conquest, France installed Oumar Bademba as Almami. A protectorate treaty signed on February 6, 1897, formalised French control while preserving some existing political institutions. Those institutions gradually lost their authority as French officials took over more of the administration. By 1900, the Almami’s authority had been restricted to three provinces.
Bokar Biro’s remains were also taken from Guinea. His severed head was sent to France, and his skull eventually became part of the collection at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris. The skulls of his son, Mody Sory, his brother, Tierno-Siré, and one of his lieutenants, Satigui Modou, were also taken.
For decades, the whereabouts of Bokar Biro’s remains remained unknown to both his family and the Guinean authorities. That changed in 2021, when Guinean researchers located his skull in the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, where it had been catalogued under the misspelling “Byro”. Their investigation also uncovered the skulls of his son, Mody Sory, his brother, Tierno-Siré, and his military commander, Satigui Modou, in the same collection. On July 27, 2026, Guinea formally requested the return of all four skulls.
The request was made as part of a wider effort to recover the remains of African resistance figures taken during colonial rule.
French authorities confirmed that the remains were held at the museum, but the request for their repatriation is still awaiting a final decision. Guinea hopes to bring the four skulls home to Fouta Djallon for burial according to local religious and customary traditions.
Sources:
https://www.quiestquienguinee.com/en/list-of-personalities/p01095/almamy-bokar-biro-barry
https://library.au.int/fr/bokar-biro-le-dernier-grand-almamy-du-fouta-djallon-10
https://africa-news-agency.com/guinea-conakry-officially-requests-france-return-skull-of-bokar-biro-barry-on-july-27-2026/
